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Transcriptional initiation is controlled by upstream GC-box interactions in a TATAA-less promoter
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Transcriptional initiation is controlled by upstream GC-box interactions in a TATAA-less promoter

M C Blake, R C Jambou, A G Swick, J W Kahn and J C Azizkhan
Molecular and cellular biology, v 10(12), pp 6632-6641
01 Dec 1990
PMID: 2247077
url
https://doi.org/10.1128/mcb.10.12.6632View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Open Access (License Unspecified) Open

Abstract

Numerous genes contain TATAA-less promoters, and the control of transcriptional initiation in this important promoter class is not understood. We have determined that protein-DNA interactions at three of the four proximal GC box sequence elements in one such promoter, that of the hamster dihydrofolate reductase gene, control initiation and relative use of the major and minor start sites. Our results indicate that although the GC boxes are apparently equivalent with respect to factor binding, they are not equivalent with respect to function. At least two properly positioned GC boxes were required for initiation of transcription. Abolishment of DNA-protein interaction by site-specific mutation of the most proximal GC box (box I) resulted in a fivefold decrease in transcription from the major initiation site and a threefold increase in heterogeneous transcripts initiating from the vicinity of the minor start site in vitro and in vivo. Mutations that separately abolished interactions at GC boxes II and III while leaving GC box I intact affected the relative utilization of both the major and minor initiation sites as well as transcriptional efficiency of the promoter template in in vitro transcription and transient expression assays. Interaction at GC box IV when the three proximal boxes were in a wild-type configuration had no effect on transcription of the dihydrofolate reductase gene promoter. Thus, GC box interactions not only are required for efficient transcription but also regulate start site utilization in this TATAA-less promoter.

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Web of Science research areas
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Cell Biology
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